February 15, 2017
Thomas Bray, Anglican Rector, Teacher of the Faith in Maryland

On this day, February 15, 1730, Thomas Bray died. You may ask “Who was Thomas Bray?” Thomas Bray was an influential presence in the growth of and instruction in Christianity in Colonial America. He was trained at Oxford and became an Anglican rector (a rector is a cleric who performs administrative leader functions in some church denominations). Bishop Henry Compton of London received a letter from the colony of Maryland requesting religious instruction in the faith. Thomas Bray was sent to investigate. Bray needed people and he needed books if he was to accomplish religious instruction. To get the books he needed, Bray organized the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). With the help of contributors Bray was able to purchase books and send them to America.

“Bray spent only ten weeks in Maryland. He saw at once that he would be more useful as a resource man in England. While in the colony, however, he reorganized the Maryland church, established a better system for examining candidates for the ministry, set in motion a system of parochial schools, and established thirty-nine libraries. In a day when fifty books were considered a sizable private collection, the SPCK put together collections of sixty and more volumes to ship overseas.

Bray…wrote an impassioned plea for Anglican missionaries in America. “My design is not to intermeddle, where Christianity under any form has obtained possession; but to represent rather the deplorable state of the English colonies, where they have been in a manner abandoned to atheism…for want of a clergy settled among them.” His practical and foresighted plan received little attention, however. Neither did his appeals for the rights of Indians and of slaves.

Back in England, Bray founded another Society–this one for the Propagation of the Gospel. He continued his work with the SPCK. Long an advocate for placing lending libraries of religious works in all British deaneries, he saw his dream fulfilled as the SPCK and its faithful allies supplied England’s churches with books. Bray also took a leading role in prison ministries. It was he who convinced General Oglethorpe to found the penal colony of Georgia.” (Christianity.com website, Death of Thomas Bray)

Recently I have challenged my congregation to invite and bring 50 new people to worship before Trinity Sunday, June 11, 2017. The challenge has caused some buzz within the rank and file of the congregants. There are those who think it is too much of a gimmick. Others just do not believe they could ask their neighbors because they live too far away, or they do not want to seem pushy or too religious. In fact I have heard very few positive statements about my challenge, which is fine, because the work of the church is not always fun and not always easy. Thomas Bray left England because he was called to America to spread the Gospel and teach the people. He knew it was necessary to not only teach them the faith but he also needed to teach them general knowledge as well. Though he was called to America for one reason, he soon discovered there were several areas he could be a benefit to the English Colonies. Did he want to go to America? Most likely not. But he stepped out of his comfort zone to embark on the task of reaching out to people who were desperate to learn about G-d.

My friends, there are many people who are desperate to learn about G-d – people we do not know, people we live next to, and people we have just met. If we do not answer the call to reach out in faith, then who will? It may not be fun and it will not always be easy, but when someone says “Yes”, well there is no better feeling.

Pastor Dave